Harry Potter, Cursed Child and the Problematic Depiction of Women
By Lacy Baugher
Maggie Smith is still the McGonagall we all see in our heads, yeah? (Photo: Warner Brothers Pictures)
Minerva McGonagall
Luckily for all of us, Minerva McGonagall is not a woman to be cowed by weak writing. Everyone’s favorite professor retains both her essential character and her own power within this story. She remains smart, thoughtful and strong – and delivers not one, but two of the best verbal takedowns in the play. Her speech to the youngsters about how they don’t understand what their parents had to suffer through to achieve peace is fantastic.
The relationships between McGonagall and her former students have developed realistically, and the awkwardness that occurs when the lot of them try to interact as professionals or parents feels earned. That the changes wrought by time among this group don’t get enough exploration is a failing, but the interactions feel largely true to character. (That said? Harry Potter would never try and bully Minerva McGonagall into doing anything. No one will ever convince me otherwise.)
We’ll just have to ignore the fact that she probably should have retired as Headmistress long before this story took place. But, whatever. It’s fine.
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Sadly, the bulk of the women in Cursed Child end up marginalized, boring, or cardboard remnants of their former selves. Given that so many women and girls loved and embraced the original Potter series, it’s a shame to see their devotion rewarded this way. The wizarding world feels a lot smaller and less interesting when it’s so heavily focused on men.